Before joining SES Engineering Services in October 2018 on an 18 month Business Administration apprenticeship at York Community Stadium through EN:Able Futures, I never really had a solid idea of what I wanted to do with my life, but does anyone at a young age?
I knew I wanted an apprenticeship but that was about it, and I certainly had never considered working in the construction industry before, never mind on a live site! I previously worked in a call centre full-time and before that I was working part-time alongside college and university.
I was really struggling to find something I enjoyed, that made the most logical next step into the world of work. When I applied for the Business Administration apprenticeship, I felt I was in a bit of a grey area, I didn’t know which company or what type of workplace or sector I would end up in but I had a feeling I had the relevant skills to do the job role well, but working in a new industry made me worry about what my day-to-day tasks would be and if I would excel. I have been pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
The site team have been fully supportive of me, giving me lots of experience in several different areas, such as health and safety paperwork, toolbox talks, site inductions, scheduling workface availability, document control to name but a few.
I really enjoy learning about how a site ‘works’ and all the different trades involved. I also love the working environment on site; it suits me much better than being stuck in a call centre! Once my apprenticeship is complete I definitely want to continue working in the construction industry, perhaps exploring different roles that may be available to me.
If it wasn’t for EN:Able Futures, who are part of Efficient North and SES Engineering Services, and the site team I work alongside, I wouldn’t have found my chosen career path, so would wholly recommend companies to consider shared apprentice schemes like this as they offer valuable skills and experiences for young people. I’d also recommend it to any young person looking to build their future.
